Localities take precautions against dengue fever, Zika virus
Localities across the countries are stepping up precautionary measures to prevent the spread of dengue fever and Zika virus, focusing on eliminating the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.
Mosquito control measures take place to prevent dengue fever and Zika virus. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)🍷 – Localities across the countries are stepping up precautionary measures to prevent the spread of dengue fever and Zika virus, focusing on eliminating the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which is the main transmitter of both diseases.
In Hanoi, the Department of Health will launch a campaign on environment sanitation and mosquito killing in mid April. It has also signed cooperation agreements with district administrations on simultaneous activities to clean up the environment, as summer is approaching creating favourable conditions for mosquito breeding.
Meanwhile, HCM City, which saw its first case of Zika virus when a 33-year-old pregnant woman tested positive for the virus earlier this month, is continuing with mosquito killing efforts in Districts 1 and 2, where the first Zika patient lives and works, while expanding communication and consultation activities targeting local residents, particularly pregnant women.
Nguyen Tri Dung, Director of HCM City Preventive Medicine Centre, said the centre will submit to the municipal health department a plan to monitor the cases of microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads, to assess the link between it and Zika virus.
In the south central coastal province of Phu Yen, the province’s steering committee for preventing epidemics launched a campaign calling people to take measures against dengue fever and Zika virus.,
All nine districts, towns and cities in the province have signed commitments to organising campaigns to kill mosquitoes and larvae and other preventive measures.
Doctor Nguyen Thi Mong Ngoc, Director of the provincial Department of Health, said during March, the number of dengue fever cases reduced by 50 percent from February to more than 1,000 cases but no casualty has been reported so far.
Phu Yen borders Khanh Hoa province, where one of the two first cases of Zika virus infections was reported in early April.-VNA
The Health Ministry had a working session with the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on addressing the spread of Zika virus on April 5 in the city.
The Ministry of Health on April 6 issued a temporary manual guiding pregnant women on how to take care of themselves amid the circulation of the Zika virus, which has been linked to microcephaly.
Local tourism departments and travel companies across Vietnam have been requested to augment efforts to ensure absolute safety for tourists as national holidays come in the next few weeks.
The southern coastal province of Khanh Hoa’s health authorities are taking drastic measures to minimise the double risk of dengue fever and Zika virus spread, following the report of one Zika virus.
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has announced the Zika virus outbreak at the commune and ward levels, after a case was reported in the locality on April 5.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Mosquito control measures take place to prevent dengue fever and Zika virus. (Photo: VNA)
